Matt Crafton Bio
Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 88 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. A long-time veteran of the series, Crafton drove for ThorSport his entire career, with the exception of 2004, and is a three-time champion of the series, winning the championship in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He holds the record for most consecutive Truck Series starts with 591.
Early Life and Background
Matthew Justin Crafton was born on June 11, 1976, in Tulare, California. He is the son of Danny Crafton, a fellow racer who competed in the Featherlite Southwest Series. Growing up in California’s Central Valley, Crafton was surrounded by short-track racing culture from a young age. He is 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) tall and weighs 160 lb (73 kg).
Crafton began his go-kart career at the age of seven after receiving a kart as a graduation present from kindergarten. He quickly found success, winning multiple national and regional karting championships as a young driver. At the age of fifteen, Crafton transitioned to open-wheel midgets, where he won twenty main events before moving into full-size stock cars.
His family ties to racing shaped his early path. In 1996, he joined the Featherlite Southwest Series as a substitute for his injured father, Danny Crafton, filling in for the final three races of the season driving the No. 46 entry. He took over that car full-time in 1997, and after four seasons of development, he won the Featherlite Southwest Tour championship in 2000 on the strength of four victories. That same year, he made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut.
Path to NASCAR
Crafton’s career went national when he became involved in the 1998 Winter Heat Series, which aired on ESPN from Tucson Raceway Park. There, he raced against established NASCAR drivers including Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ron Hornaday. The experience helped sharpen his stock car skills against top competition.
His strong 2000 Featherlite Southwest Tour season, highlighted by four wins and the series title, drew the attention of ThorSport Racing. The team offered him a chance to make his Truck Series debut at the 2000 season finale at California Speedway, driving the PickupTruck.com Chevy. He qualified 17th and finished 9th in that first national start, which set the stage for a full-time ride in 2001.
Matt Crafton Career
Early Career (2000–2004)
Crafton began his full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign in 2001, driving the No. 88 for ThorSport Racing with sponsorship from Fast Track Delivery Sealer and XE Sighting System. He posted eleven top-ten finishes and finished 12th in the championship standings, placing third in the Rookie of the Year battle behind Ricky Hendrick and Travis Kvapil. Menards joined the program as an associate sponsor in 2002, and Crafton posted ten top-tens in 2003 while finishing 11th in points.
In 2004, Crafton stepped away from ThorSport to drive the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Silverado for Kevin Harvick Incorporated. He earned a best finish of third, six top-fives, and 17 top-tens, ending the year fifth in the standings. Despite those strong numbers, he was released from KHI and returned to ThorSport for 2005, where he scored his first career pole at New Hampshire International Speedway and finished ninth in points.
Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2005–2014)
Crafton’s first NASCAR win came on May 16, 2008, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, his 178th career Truck Series start. At the time, that was a record for most starts before a driver’s first Truck Series victory. The win vaulted him into the top five in points, and later that year he qualified for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Homestead as a substitute for Robby Gordon.
After consistent top-ten seasons in 2009 and 2010, Crafton won for the second time at Iowa Speedway in 2011. The 2013 season was the breakthrough of his career. He won at Kansas in April, took over the points lead, and never gave it up, clinching his first Truck Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He became the first driver to complete every lap of the season in the Truck Series. In 2014, he scored wins at Martinsville and Texas, becoming the first back-to-back champion in Truck Series history.
Three-Time Champion Era (2015–2019)
The 2015 season was the most prolific of Crafton’s career, as he collected six wins, including Atlanta, Kansas (twice as a winner), Texas, Kentucky, Martinsville, and the season finale at Homestead-Miami. It was the first time he had won more than two races in a season. Despite late-season crashes at Gateway, Pocono, Talladega, and Phoenix, he finished third in points behind Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick.
He added wins at Dover and Charlotte in 2016, then captured the Eldora Speedway dirt race in 2017. Although he went winless in 2018, he advanced to the Championship 4 in 2019. He finished second at Homestead to Austin Hill but secured his third Truck Series title, two positions ahead of Ross Chastain.
ThorSport Racing Era (2020–2025)
Crafton broke a 67-race winless streak on July 25, 2020, winning at Kansas Speedway for the third time in his career, his final Truck Series victory. He made the Championship 4 in 2021 with another winless year, finishing fourth in points. After slipping to ninth in 2022, he made the playoffs again in 2023 but was eliminated at Kansas, and a garage-area confrontation with Nick Sanchez at Talladega led to a $25,000 fine from NASCAR.
In 2024, Crafton failed to qualify for the Truck Series playoffs for the first time since the playoff format was introduced. On August 18, 2025, ThorSport Racing announced that Crafton would retire from full-time competition at season’s end, with teammate Ty Majeski taking over the No. 88 truck in 2026. In a December 2025 interview, Crafton confirmed plans to return part-time in 2026 for five to ten races in a different ThorSport entry.
Driving Style and Strengths
Crafton built his reputation on consistency, smart fuel-mileage strategy, and a smooth, patient style on intermediate tracks. He has historically excelled on 1.5-mile ovals such as Kansas and Texas, where his ability to manage tire wear and pit timing has paid off with multiple wins. His long partnership with ThorSport Racing and longtime sponsor Menards has provided stable engineering support and crew chemistry over more than two decades.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature venues include Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he took his first Truck win in 2008, and Kansas Speedway, site of his most recent victory in 2020. He is the all-time leader in Truck Series top-ten finishes and holds the record for most consecutive starts in the series, milestones that have placed him among the most durable drivers in NASCAR history.
Matt Crafton Career Wins
Matt Crafton has compiled 15 verified NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories over a 25-year full-time career, along with a 2000 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour title. His win total places him among the top winners in series history, and his three championships (2013, 2014, 2019) rank him as one of the greatest drivers in the Truck Series.
Craftsman Truck Series Highlights
Crafton’s first Truck Series win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008, and his most recent came at Kansas Speedway in 2020. He won the series championship three times, in 2013, 2014, and 2019, with the 2014 title making him the first back-to-back champion in Truck Series history. He has also posted 333 top-ten finishes, the all-time series record, along with 16 career poles.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the Truck Series, Crafton captured the 2000 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour championship. He has also made limited appearances in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West, in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Nationwide), and in the NASCAR Cup Series as a substitute driver for Menards-linked teams.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 15 | 333 | 16 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Matt Crafton Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Crafton is the son of Danny Crafton, a fellow racer who competed in the Featherlite Southwest Series. His father’s racing connections gave Matt his initial break, as he joined the Featherlite Southwest Series in 1996 as a substitute for his injured dad, finishing the final three races of the season in the No. 46 entry.
Personal Life
Matt Crafton is married to Lauren Crafton. The couple has two children, a daughter named Elladee and a son named Matthew. Crafton has spent the majority of his adult life in the NASCAR garage area, building a reputation as a devoted family man alongside his long racing career. In 2023, he was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.
2025 Season Performance
Matt Crafton entered 2025 with ThorSport Racing, but on August 18, 2025, the team announced that he would step away from full-time competition at season’s end, with Ty Majeski taking over the No. 88 truck in 2026. Despite the looming transition, Crafton continued to log starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025 while mentoring his younger teammate. The 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix served as his final full-time event.
His 2025 campaign has been more about legacy than weekly contention, with the No. 88 Menards-backed Ford F-150 serving as a tribute to a 25-year full-time run. Crafton remained a steady veteran presence in the garage, and his experience continued to support ThorSport’s broader program. He finished 15th in the 2025 Truck Series standings.
Looking ahead, Crafton confirmed in December 2025 that he plans to return to the Truck Series part-time in 2026, running five to ten races in a different ThorSport entry. The arrangement allows him to stay connected to NASCAR competition while beginning the next chapter of his career.
